Propelling device



May 6, i941. A.-D. HILL, JR

PROPELLING DEVICE Filed Feb. 2'7, 1939 INVENTOR. HHTHUH DEFIPEEET L .m-

ATTORNEYS Patented May 6, 1941 UNI T ED"- ES PAT-E N F F 1 6E PROPELLING DEVICE Arthur Dempsey Hill, Jr., Los Angeles, Calif.

Application February 27, 1939, Serial No. 258,827

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in propelling devices and has particular reference to means for propelling objects through a fluid medium, such as a boat through a body of water, or to create a current in a fluid medium.

The principal object of this nvention is to provide simple means which when vibrated will set up forces acting in a direction substantially at right angles to that of the direction of movement of the propelling device.

A further object is to produce a device of this character which is economical to manufacture, easily controlled, and a device which will be neat in appearance and light in weight.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my device as the same would appear when mounted upon the stern portion of a boat;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, but showing the outline of the boat in broken lines.

An impelling device when attached to a movable object immersed in a fluid will tend when operated to push the movable object through its reactive force on the fluid. However, if the movable object is held stationary, then the reactive force will cause to move the fluid with relation to the movable object. It is this reactive force that I employ in a most simple manner.

In the accompanying drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates a movable object, such as the hull of a boat, and upon this object I position a motor unit mounted in a housing 6 and having an arm 1 extending therefrom. This arm may be vibrated in a horizontal plane by any convenient force, such as a vibrating type of motor, to the armature of which the arm I would be attached. This arm has a clamp 8 at its outer end, which clamp is tightened by a hand wheel 9 and serves to adjustably support a rod ll having a handle 12 at its upper end. The lower end of this rod is curved, as shown at I3, so as to provide a lower tip portion l4 offset with relation to the vertical axis of the rod H where it passes through the clamp 8. A horn l6 extends from the rod II at a point substantially adjacent the upper end of the curved portion l3 and serves to support a resilient membrane ll stretched therebetween and between the curved portion l3.

The result of this arrangement is that when the parts are in full line position of Figs. 1 and 2 and the arm 1 is vibrated, side to side movement of the rod II and its attached parts will cause the membrane H to push the fluid adjacent thereto, first toward the right and then toward the left. As the membrane is made of resilient material, it will give to a slight degree, thus causing a bellying action, as illustrated in Fig. 3. Consequently, this movement will produce what might be termed a sculling action, thus tending to force the boat ahead when the parts are in the full line position of Fig. 1. When the handle I2 is turned through an arc of the hull will tend to move backwards, or when turned to the side, as shown in Fig. 2, the boat will pivot as in making a turn. By adjusting the rod ll vertically the amount of immersion of the impeller may be varied.

The action of the membrane may be very closely likened to the action of the tail of a fish, which is one of the most efiicient types of propellers known. It is, of course, realized that if my device is immersed in a channel and held stationary with relation to the side of the channel, when the device is operated, a strong current will be set up. 'Ihus, my device may also be employed for creating a flow of liquid through a channel.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An impelling device comprising a horizontally disposed arm, means for vibrating said arm in a horizontal direction, a clamp secured to the free end of said arm, a rod vertically adjustable in said clamp, means for rotating said rod with relation to said 'clamp, and a vertically disposed membrane secured to said rod and extending laterally therefrom to produce a vibrating flexible vane.

2. The combination with a boat, an impelling device comprising a horizontally disposed arm extending beyond the stern of the boat, means for vibrating said arm in a horizontal direction transverse of the boat, a rod vertically adjustatale in the outer end of said arm, and a vertically disposed membrane secured to said rod and extending laterally therefrom in a plane lengthwise of the boat.

3. The combination with a boat, an impelling device comprising a horizontally disposed arm extending beyond the stern of the boat, means for vibrating said arm in a horizontal direction transverse of the boat, a rod vertically adjustable in the outer end of said arm and held against rotation, a vertically disposed membrane secured to said rod and extending laterally therefromin a plane lengthwise of the boat parallel with the arm, and means for oscillating the rod in the arm and looking it. in its adjusted position, whereby the angle of the membrane to the direction of vibration may be readily changed.

ARTHUR DEMPSEY HILL, JR. 

